D. Merrey, Gulilat Berhane, Paulos Dubale and D. Peden
This framework is a working document prepared by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Ministries of Water Resources and of Agriculture of the Government of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO), the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission (ESTC), Mekelle University (MU), and the Arbaminch Water Research Institute (AWTI).
The first working draft was prepared by IWMI. It was revised based on feedback from the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR). The current version has been revised in the light of comments made at the workshop.
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international non-profit research institute. It was established in 1984 as an ‘International Irrigation Management Institute’, but changed its name in 1996 to reflect a broadening of its mandate. Its headquarters is in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the year 2000 IWMI established a major Africa Regional Office located in Pretoria, South Africa. This reflects the Institute’s substantial commitment to Africa.
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is a non-profit institution governed by an international Board of Trustees created in 1995 by the merger of the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD), based in Nairobi, Kenya. Through the ILCA heritage, ILRI commenced research on livestock management in Ethiopia in 1974. In collaboration with the Ethiopian government, ILRI conducts research in various parts of Ethiopia.
ILRI works to improve the well-being of people in developing countries by enhancing the diverse and essential contributions livestock make to smallholder farming. Two-thirds of the world's domestic animals are kept in developing countries, and rural smallholders own more than 90% of them. Ethiopia contains more livestock than any other African country. Ruminant animals provide poor farmers with some of the resources they need most: high-quality food, animal traction and transport, manure to fertilise croplands, a daily income through dairying, and insurance against disaster. The management of these animals is highly dependent on water but also greatly affects water supply and quality that people require for many purposes.
IWMI and ILRI are among the 16 food and environmental research centres, known as the Future Harvest Centres, located around the world. Some 60 governments, private foundations, and international organisations known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) support these centres. As Centres supported by the CGIAR, the common mandate of IWMI and ILRI is to produce international public goods that contribute to poverty eradication.
Ethiopia has abundant water resources with the annual surface runoff alone estimated to be 122 billion cubic metres (MoWR 1999). However, the spatial and temporal distribution of these resources is very uneven. This is coupled with a wide range of climatic and topographic conditions that create a diversity of agro-ecological and soil conditions across the country. Subsistence agriculture is the dominant activity of the vast majority of the Ethiopian population, providing employment for about 80% of the population and contributing over 75% of the country’s exports. The main cereal crops are maize, wheat, sorghum, barley, millet and teff, with a total surface of 6.8 million hectares. Livestock is crucial for rural livelihoods in Ethiopia, with 34.5 million head of cattle and 36 million sheep and goats (FAOSTAT 2001). However, agricultural production (including livestock) remains far below expectations, with production systems that lead to considerable degradation of land resources. The generally low rainfall with very high spatial and temporal variability limit production, and makes large parts of the country vulnerable to recurrent droughts; the current drought (2002–2003) may have a devastating impact on millions of people. Technological innovation has been less than in many other countries over the past few decades. As a result of these factors, rural poverty is endemic.
To date, the water sector is at a low state of development and the developed infrastructure is performing below expectations (MoWR 1999). There is evidence that the country has sufficient water and irrigable land resources to meet the nation’s domestic food needs and become a major exporter of agricultural produce. However, less than five percent of the irrigable land has been developed, and even this is said to be performing below expectation (MoWR 1999). This creates a critical need for looking at ways of exploiting the irrigation potential of the country. Most of the irrigated area consists of small-scale gravity irrigation using traditional techniques, while in the Awash Valley a few large modern farms can be found. Domestic water use also counts among the world’s lowest, with only 31 percent of the population having access to safe water supply. This factor, combined with widespread malaria and serious malnutrition underlies the serious health issues faced by the rural poor.
In addition to shortages of financial and human resources, Ethiopia needs to strengthen its research base as a foundation for developing its water and agriculture sectors effectively. A strong agricultural and natural resources research programme combined with appropriate extension, training and other support services, is an essential pre-requisite for expanding agricultural production. Similarly, in order to plan and use its water resources in an optimal way, the country needs a strong research programme in integrated water resources management. This becomes even more imperative as the country engages in a dialogue with its neighbours on the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). Currently, in both the water and agriculture sectors there is significant capacity in some areas, but serious shortfalls in others.
In sum, for Ethiopia to address the wide variety and complexity of water and land management issues it faces, and to fully engage in the management of the Nile Basin waters, the nation must develop a strong indigenous research and water and land management capacity. The major outcome of a recent joint IWMI–ILRI mission to Ethiopia was a recognition by all parties that IWMI and partners like ILRI can make an important contribution to developing a research base, and strengthening local capacity for water and land research.3 This paper sets out a proposed framework for collaboration with Ethiopian partners to achieve these goals.
The overall scope of the collaborative research and capacity building programme is water and land resources management in Ethiopia. Emphasis will be given to sustainable improvement of agricultural productivity, including livestock and fisheries; to its relationship with human health and the environment; and to water resources management.
The programme, in accordance with the Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy (MoWR 1999), will be guided by the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM). Research will be targeted at different scales, from the crop, to field, micro-watershed and river basin levels, including trans-boundary issues.
The proposed programme will therefore have four broad objectives:
Key facets of the basic strategy for the research programme should include:
Comparing IWMI’s and its partners’ comparative advantage with the needs of Ethiopia, it is possible to envision a very large programme with many different areas of work. Examples include:
At this stage it is proposed to develop the future research and capacity building programme around three focal areas as follows:
These areas were generally endorsed by the workshop. As the programme evolves the above areas will be prioritised and key research questions identified to address the most significant water and land management issues in Ethiopia.
Achieving the level of water and land management research and management capacity desired by Ethiopia will take a large investment in human resources development and institution-building over at least a decade. IWMI and its partners can make an important contribution to achieving this objective, though of course there will be other initiatives at the same time. Our comparative advantage is in post-graduate research-based education in co-operation with universities, training of trainers in the use of various tools and methodologies, policy and strategic workshops and programmes, and support for institutional reforms in both the agricultural and resources management sectors.
This component of the overall programme could therefore include the following:<
At the workshop there was clearly a very high level of interest by all parties in such capacity-building activities.
To achieve its targets, the Ethiopian collaborative research programme on water and land resources requires a well-co-ordinated team of partners and participating organisations. To avoid fragmentation, research projects and activities must contribute to the overall framework. The necessary strategic planning is the proposed role of the Ethiopian National Consultative Committee for Water and Land Management Research.<
The research partners have primary responsibility for the output of the overall programme. Participating organisations will collaborate on specific projects and activities, and will be responsible for the outputs from the project or activity. Participating organisations will be drawn from national and regional government agencies, national and regional research organisations (e.g. EARO, ESTC etc.), universities (e.g. Abraminch, Addis Ababa, Mekelle etc.) and NGOs. The composition of the group of participating organisations is the responsibility of the National Consultative Committee.
The Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission (ESTC) has recently completed a study recommending establishment of an institutional framework to support water research, somewhat like the arrangements in the agriculture and health sectors. The workshop endorsed implementation of this institutional framework. It also endorsed the planned research department within the Ministry of Water Resources. However, it is recognised that implementation of these new institutions will take time. Therefore, the proposed Ethiopian National Consultative Committee for Water and Land Research should be established immediately in order to bridge the gap. The workshop also proposed that a broad Memorandum of Understanding between IWMI and the Government of Ethiopia be prepared as a framework for the collaboration.
The Ethiopian National Consultative Committee will guide the collaborative research and capacity building programme with IWMI and ILRI on water and land management. This will consist of senior representatives of major stakeholders, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Water Resources; regional government agencies; national and regional research organisations; and universities, in addition to representation from IWMI, ILRI and possibly other CGIAR centres.
The National Consultative Committee’s primary functions are to:
In the short run, the Ministry of Water Resources has created the core group that organised the December 2002 workshop (this proceedings); this group with some further strengthening could lead the elaboration of the proposed long-term collaborative programme.
The intent is to develop and implement a long-term collaboration on water and land management research in Ethiopia that has long-term substantial support from strategic donors. The December 2002 workshop has produced an agreed framework for collaboration, reflected in this proceedings, which provides a basis for designing the future programme and proposals to attract funding.
The envisaged programme is ambitious and beyond the financial means of IWMI, ILRI, or indeed the Ethiopian Government by themselves. Therefore, it will be necessary for the partners to develop a strategy for attracting long term funding from interested donors. All of the partners fully recognise the need to raise funds, and will co-operate to do so. The workshop identified the need to approach many kinds of partners for support. The donors supporting the Nile Basin Initiative, among others, may also be interested in providing support to this initiative. The CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food, in which IWMI is the lead partner, will be another potential source of funding for research and capacity building through a competitive grant process.
The following activities were brought to our attention; more may be added at the workshop and as this collaboration matures:
A recently completed study by the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission (ESTC) to identify research and development issues and needs for water resources management in Ethiopia for the Ministry of Water Resources. This study has been referred to above.
Ministry of Water Resources’ on-going study to determine institutional requirements for integrated water resources management (IWRM) for Ethiopia’s 12 major basins.
The Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization has developed concept papers (EARO 2002) on smallholder irrigation, water harvesting, drainage technology, and environment and irrigation.
The Ministry of Water Resources is proposing to expand the mandate of the Ground Water Development Training Center (10 km south of Addis Ababa) to include water resources in general, and to undertake applied research.
EARO (Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization). 2002. Concept papers on agricultural water management. Soil and Water Research Directorate, EARO, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
FAOSTAT. 2001. Data available at http://apps.fao.org.
IWMI (International Water Management Institute). 2002. Report on mission to Ethiopia, 25 February–3 March 2002. IWMI, Pretoria, South Africa.
MoWR (Ministry of Water Resources). 1999. Comprehensive and Integrated Water Resources Management—Ethiopian Water Resources Management Policy. MoWR, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
MoWR (Ministry of Water Resources). 2001. National Water Strategy. Final Draft. Project Coordinating Office, MoWR, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Summaries of working group sessions
Following the one-and–a-half-days of plenary sessions, the workshop broke into five working groups. These working groups were:
Capacity building
The groups were expected to identify key issues of research and capacity building interest to Ethiopia, explore potential research questions, identify key partnerships and determine next steps. If time allowed, the groups were to draft relevant pre-concept notes. The groups were also encouraged to provide feedback on the framework paper.
The remainder of this paper summarises the output from each of the five working groups.
Group I: Household, farm, community level issues
This group focused its discussion on the following priority areas:
Poverty alleviation
Develop and select relevant household indicators of poverty in the Ethiopia context (e.g. economic, food security, health, education, type of house)
Assess and analyse the causes of poverty especially in rural Ethiopia
Determine the level and incidence of poverty in specific communities and relate these to current water and land management strategies, and identify ways for improvement.
Water harvesting
Research and capacity building on water storage technologies for their efficiency and appropriateness (including technologies to reduce seepage and loss of stored water)
Potential and possibility of micro-irrigation with small pumps
Different technological approaches that address production in the highlands as well as lowlands, especially the pastoralists
Water harvesting for domestic use, and for livestock
Moisture conservation in situ
Catchment protection with methods such as erosion control, aforestation).
Domestic water supply
Water quantity and quality issues that are important for human consumption
Storage and treatment technologies and practices
Water use and hygiene education
Water delivery and transport systems
Assessment and protection of groundwater.
Drainage and water use efficiency
Safe drainage of vertisol soils: Prevention of water logging as well as excess withdrawal
Water use efficiency at farm level
Supplementary irrigation.
Uptake of technologies and agricultural crops
Participatory on-farm development and testing of new technologies (e.g. affordable drip irrigation systems)
Dissemination of existing farming technologies (e.g. tillage, irrigation, drainage, storage)
Distinction and relative importance of food crops, cash crops, fodder crops, chat.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture
Horticultural crops for urban demand
Potential for roof water collection
Marketing and other economic issues
Physical access to markets (roads)
When to store, when to sell?
Post-harvest technologies (safe storage and transport)
Property rights: Land tenure, land ownership, land use rights, water rights, fragmentation of land (high pressure on land for new families)
Issues related to direct taxes on harvest and taxes on inputs, contributions (e.g. church, sports, community activities), repayment of loans and interest (payments by farmers should not be done at harvest time when the prices for produce are low)
Habits: Non-farming days (religious holidays); uneconomic use of produce (e.g. weddings, festivals); hygiene behaviour; local family planning issues; chat consumption.
Health issues (malaria and other diseases)
What are the dynamics of increased malaria transmission associated with irrigation and dams?
How does this change over time?
Who are affected?
Relation to livestock (e.g. breeding in hoof prints, diverting mosquitoes to or from people).
Bed nets (e.g. coverage, affordability).
Potential partners—Ethiopian Ministry of Health; Bureaus of Water Resources (Ethiopia); Bureaus of Health; Institute of Health Research; Universities: Addis Ababa, Alemaya, Jimma, Arbaminch, Mekelle (also medical faculties); NGOs; UNICEF; WHO; ILRI; IWMI; Private enterprises (e.g. treatment, bed nets); Bilaterals; Religious organisations; Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs; Regional Governments; Micro-finance Enterprises; Private Enterprises; Regional Research Institutes; Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization.
Group II: Integrated watershed management
After a detailed deliberation by fourteen experts of diverse technical backgrounds and from different institutions, four key areas were identified as important focus areas for watershed management in the country, from a research and capacity building perspective. These areas included:
Water harvesting for small-scale irrigation, livestock and domestic use within a watershed
Alternative energy sources and their potential to sustain livelihood and preserve environmental needs within a watershed, including hydropower, wind, solar, animal wastes, fuel-wood etc.; domestic water supply for human activities and livestock
Livestock, agroforestry and vegetation management, including the introduction of legumes for soil nutrients replenishment, systems stabilisation through soil improvements and provision of additional livestock fodder etc.
Health and environmental issues in a watershed. Important environmental issues in a watershed of research and capacity building interest, among others, include soil erosion and land degradation, soil and water conservation, and maintenance of biodiversity within a watershed. Health issues relate more to the impact of different land and water management strategies (including management for irrigation and livestock) on human health–water related diseases etc.
The group identified various research questions, thought to be relevant for the planning research and capacity building work in water and land management in Ethiopia. The questions, grouped according to identified focus areas, are presented below, as is a draft concept note.
Focus Area 1: Water harvesting for small-scale irrigation (SSI), livestock and domestic use
Identification of best traditional small-scale irrigation practices and water harvesting technologies and assessment of their potential for up-scaling
Determination of runoff coefficients and rates of sedimentation from various catchments for irrigation scheme design
Water situation assessment (quality and quantity) in watersheds for various productive purposes, including surface and groundwater potential
Studies on salinity hazards in small-scale irrigation; prevention and soil reclamation
Potential for conjunctive use of surface and groundwater sustainably in watershed context
Selection of biological soil water conservation (SWC) methods in a catchment
Integrated pest management in watersheds
Potential for cost recovery in SSI, including an assessment of optimal level of cost that could be incurred by farmers sustainably, and key incentives for repayment of such costs by farmers
Ways of increasing labour productivity in smallholder production; assessment of complimentary income generating activities such as the integration of fisheries with livestock production etc.
Role of markets in supporting smallholder production and livelihoods in a watershed, e.g. access to input and output markets. Role of markets in stimulating the productivity and profitability of production on smallholder irrigation schemes and
Impact of frequent land redistribution on productivity of smallholder farmers (especially irrigation farmers), and farmers incentives for investment in soil and water conservation.
Focus Area II: Livestock, agroforestry and vegetation management
Assessment of parameters and measurement of water productivity in the livestock sub-sector in the context of growing water scarcity in a watershed
Potential biological methods of improving/sustaining soil fertility and water productivity in crop–livestock systems in a context of growing scarcity.
Focus Area III: Alternative energy sources in a catchment
Appropriate technology choice with regards to energy (solar, wind, water/hydropower, animal dung, fuel-wood etc.).<
Focus Area IV: Health and environmentWetlands management, including potential for sustainable exploitation while preserving environmental values, uses and functions etc.
Water related diseases in small-scale irrigation (health impacts of water-harvesting technologies; micro-dams etc.)
Studies on appropriate farming practices that maintain biological diversity and resuscitate environmental quality.
Pre-concept note
Purpose
Given the research questions stipulated above to facilitate sustainable socio-economic development through integrated natural resource management, focusing on water, within a watershed context.
Research questions
(as listed above)
Expected outputs
Capacity building: through workshops and working with communities; through student collaboration etc.
Generation of a database that will be a useful planning tool for watershed development (useful for governments, NGOs, communities etc.).
Various research outputs and packages, with recommendations for policy and development practitioners.
Establishment of benchmark watershed that will be useful references for the planning and development of other watersheds.
Activities and methods
Intensive literature review
In-depth case studies
o Designing of the study through and inception workshop
o Data collection (empirical data)
o Empirical analysis and
o Reporting and dissemination.
Impacts
Improved food production in catchments
Improved livelihood of communities and rural people living in catchments
Rehabilitation of degraded lands and
Improved capacity of communities to implement or continue projects or initiatives.
Interested partners
IWMI, ILRI, Ministry of Agriculture (Ethiopia), Ministry of Water Resources (Ethiopia), Metaferia Consultant Engineers, Environmental Protection Authority (Ethiopia), Institute for Biodiversity Research and Conservation, Addis Ababa University (Civil Engineering Department), Water Aid Ethiopia, Tigray Water Resources Development Bureau, Tigray Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Amhara Region Water Bureau; Land, Mines and Energy Resources Bureau for Southern Region; Oromiya Water Resource Bureau; Oromiya Natural Resources Bureau; Oromiya Environmental Bureau; Arbaminch Water Technology Institute.
Possible funding sources
CGIAR: Challenge program on water and food, FIDRC, FIFAD, World Bank, AfDB, FGM, GEF, IUCN, UNDP, USAID, EU, SIDA, Ethiopian Government.
Group III: Basin/trans-boundary issues
This group considered a number of issues, including various scales of analysis as well as categories of research and capacity building issues. The scales included the entire basin within a region or country, shared basins between regions or countries, small and large scale irrigation, and other uses, including hydropower and water supply for domestic and productive purposes.
The group then proceeded to review the Water Resources Policy, Water Resources Strategy of Ethiopia and the Framework Paper Developed by IWMI for water and land Management in the country. Various knowledge gaps and capacity building issues were identified. The major areas of research and capacity building were identified under technical, economic, institutional and legal, and social and environmental categories.
Technical issues
River Basin Modelling and DSS
o Groundwater,
o Catchment, physical models
Cost effective hydrologic and hydraulic design standards and guidelines
River morphology, sediment transport and flow/flood characterisation
Application of emerging technologies—GIS and Remote Sensing
Water quality and quantity monitoring
Information management
Groundwater
Equitable sharing
Index catchments modelling
Performance evaluation
Optimal use of land and water and other basin resources
Multi-purpose reservoirs along rivers.<
Economic issues
Public–private sector partnership
Incentive mechanism for private investment
Cost recovery
Marketing problems of irrigation output—facilities at scheme and national policy level
Flexibility in design—crop and water management patterns—alternatives
Marketing and credit infrastructure flexibility
Optimum water and land use planning—links
Impact—relevance of government water policy on the national economy
Cross-sectoral issues –water and other sectors of the national economy
Sustainability of investment
Impact on income and purchasing power
Efficiency in BOT for hydropower
DSS to evaluate impacts of technologies, management approaches, and policies for decision-makers
Share of investments for water resources development—regions
Cross-sectoral cost sharing
Water pricing and tariffs and
Economic efficiency and social equity.
Institutional and legal issues
Appropriate institutional set-up at all levels-international experience
Nature of partnerships/co-operative framework
Conflict resolution and negotiation
Water rights at different levels
Implementation of programmes—institutions
Information sharing with riparian countries
Navigational use of rivers and lakes
Enforcement of water laws—permits
Indicators for monitoring the following:
o Environmental impact
o Technical performance
o Economic performance
Wetland management strategy and
Soil salinity and other issues.
Group IV: Governance and resources
The discussions of this group were focused on institutional requirements for co-ordination and support of water resources research, identifying challenges and possible sources of funding, and identifying key partnerships. The details include:
Institutions
Endorse autonomous institution for co-ordination and support of water resources research
o Similar to framework in agriculture and health sector
o ESTC report offers proposal for this
o Government should commit itself
o Gradual development of R&D institution
o Institution needs strategy for collaboration with international institutions
o Possibility of IWMI role in institutional development.<
Challenge
Effective co-ordination of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources Research and Development Institute, Ministry of Water Resources, EPA etc.
Metadata base will help bridge this gap
Suggest: joint technical committee, with clear guidelines and terms of reference.
Importance of institutional stability
Develop water-related research and capacity building project proposals focused on Government priorities—such as PRSP [food security and rural livelihoods and Agricultural Development Led Industrialisation (ADLI)].
Water recognised as key sector
Government commitment to research—may respond positively
Government commitment may leverage donor funds
Include research and capacity building components in investment projects.
Possible source of funding
Government of Ethiopia
Private sector
NGOs
External support agencies—multilateral, bilateral, initiatives like NBI
CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food
Partnerships
Networking among existing water-related institutions, e.g. MoWR, universities, ESTC, EPA, MOA, EARO, professional associations, NGOs etc.
Partnerships with international institutions, such as ICID, GWP, IWMI, ILRI (and other CGIAR centres), Global Mechanism for Combating Desertification etc.
Recommendations
Ethiopian national consultative committee on land and water research
o As recommended in Framework Paper
o Reinforces technical committees of the proposed water research institute and EARO
o Must include universities, Geological Survey of Ethiopia, other key national stakeholders.
Group V: Capacity building
The group focused on the identification of primary issues as well as development of key research questions on capacity building in water and land management. Primary issues entailed an assessment of natural resource potential, development, utilisation and associated opportunities. The primary issues, research questions and proposed research questions include:
Assessment
Water resources potential
Land resources potential
Environmental impacts
Development
Planning
Design
Implementation
Utilisation
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Opportunities
Ample potential of water and land resources
Viable policy has been formulated at the government level
Sectoral/cross-sectoral strategies and action plans are being developed for implementation of policy
Increased realisation of the needs for research and capacity building in water and land management
Intention to establish water research and development institute
Expansion of higher learning and technical training institutions
Growing collaboration with donor and international organisations including training institutions.
Potential research questions
Analyse minimum capacity requirements for research on land and water resources management with reference to:
o Human resource
o Financial resource
o Institutional aspects
Evaluate existing programmes with the view to strengthening the relevance and effectiveness of training in Land and Water resource management
Identify causes and extent of brain drain with a view to creating an enabling environment for researchers.
Proposed next steps
The identified research questions could be addressed under the framework of the proposed water R&D institute
The report of the study of R&D in the water sector could serve as a basis for developing research ideas and priorities.
Recommendations
The proposed Water R&D institute should be established as soon as possible
Project proposals should be developed to address the specific research questions identified under the proposed collaboration framework.
Key partnerships
Main stakeholders in Land and Water resource management
o Urban and rural communities
o National and regional research institutions
o Government institutions (e.g. AAWAS, EEPCO, NMSA, GSE, Ministries of water resources, agriculture, infrastructure, capacity building, rural development), Regional Water Bureau)
o Higher learning and technical institutions (e.g. AWTI, AAU, AU, MU, JU, BU, DU)
o Industry (private and public)
o Non-governmental organisations—local and international (e.g. Water Aid, Water Action, SNV)
o International research organisations (e.g. ILRI, IWMI)
o Donor agencies (e.g. GTZ, SIDA, Dutch Government, CIDA, USAID, JICA)
o Consulting firms (e.g. WWDSE, MCE, Aquatech Consult, Continental Tropics)